House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Women's and Children's Hospital WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL Dr McFETRIDGE House of Assembly Morphett WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (16:45): Again, my question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Of the 82 health jobs being cut at the Women's and Children's Hospital, how many are nursing positions? The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly Playford Minister for Health and Ageing Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Minister for Defence Industries Minister for Veterans' Affairs WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (16:45): Let me make it quite clear that nothing will be cut unless we are able to reduce the length of stay. The simple fact is that the study that has been undertaken by Deloitte has made it clear that we are spending substantially more, for a hospital of its size, at the Women's and Children's Hospital than they are in peer hospitals interstate. That goes to a number of reasons, one of which they have identified is the number of caesarean sections that are being done in the maternity unit, and another is the length of stay. If we can reduce the length of stay then, of course, we can use the beds that we have in the hospital more efficiently and we can reduce the number of beds there. Accordingly, if you do not have as many beds, you do not need as many staff. Of the 82, I do not know exactly how many would be nursing staff, but I imagine a reasonable proportion. I have made it very clear to the Australian nursing federation that the government is committed to the existing nurse-patient or nurse-bed ratios that are in the industrial agreement that we have with the nurses' federation and that will not change. So, we cannot reduce the number of nursing staff unless we reduce the number of beds, and we will not be doing that unless we are able to reduce the length of stay.